happening in our country. so we have millions of people who are being put out of their [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute] so that takes me to our second task, which is to build a bold new era for change. i will confess, i thought in terms of those gameshow contests where you would get 10 minutes to put anything into a grocery cart that you could take home, so maybe we could get health care and put that in the basket,

maybe we could put immigration reform in the pass ket, but sooner or later that 10 minutes would be up. i think that is the wrong way to think of the moment we are in. us cycle winning progressive policy change allows us to win more progressive policy change. and to date we have been really dealing with rightly and fighting for policy ideas that in some ways are off the shelf. these are things that we've been fighting for for a long time but these are issues that have been blocked by the conservative dominance of this town but there are new issues that we need to begin to lay the groundwork for, emerging issues we need to lay the groundwork for. we heard some of that this morning in hearing about the need to create a new kind of economy that works for everybody. we are seeing leveless of inequality and racial exclusion in our country

that have been fundamentally incompatible with a driving economy or democracy. people used to say that inequality of the kind in our country today is the necessary consequence of a capitalist economy and a growth economy that we just had to live with that reality. i think there's one lesson that this crisis has taught us, it's that inequality is actually bad for the economy and bad for our democracy. [applause] so in my mind one of the worst things that's happened over this period of conservative dominance is it has taken whole subjects and put them outside the pale of polite discourse. among elites in our country. issues of deep poverty and unemployment and radical income inequality so we are going to need over these next couple of years to build an even bigger agenda that asks questions about how much inequality is acceptable in our country. what is the role of a corporation in our country. so that in 2011 and 200013,

we're not just resting on the laurels of what we've done in 2009 and 2010 but we are pushing for more. in some ways the point i want to make is whether during this period is whether this will be a period like the new deal. and in the new deal we saw not just a short burst of progressive policymaking but really a sustained campaign to get policy change done over many, many years and in fact the secondwo years of the new deal were far more far reaching. social security the wagner act and so on, than the first two years. and in my mind, the question for us is what -- is is you know will we have that kind of sustained series of breakthroughs over multiple years or will we have a narrow window to get our shopping cart filled up? and the answer to that question isn't up to

president obama. it's up to us. thank you very much. [applause] >> this has been a great panel. great group of speakers, a great group of letters. we have -- we've caught up a little bit in terms of our time so we have a little bit of space to, to have a discussion. i don't know if any of our speakers want to have an exchange or ask some questions with their other panel it'ses? -- panelists -- >> how about audience questions? >> i'm sorry, we didn't prepare for that. let -- we'll get to you in a second, all right? let me make an interesting comparison between the two efforts on health care. and, and to, to, just have a conversation about how we

how we do parallel paths. mitch you said that there were three principles guiding the effort by organizing for america. there is a larger coalition called health care for america now which is laying greater emphasis on the need for a public plan. and we've taken the responsibility for getting members of congress to 12e up to that one. it's in the plan that obama campaigned on. it's certainly aims at controlling costs in the way that he's made at a priority. but my guess is organizing for america decided that they needed to be a little bit more general. sacrificing perhaps some intensity on the part of your supporters but preparing for the

possibility that it might or might not get into the legislation. on the other hand, a whole bunch of us are fighting like crazy to make sure that it is in that legislation. [applause] and i know that your intention is cell -- that's your intention as well. but i just wanted to get your reaction to those different levels of messaging and organizing. sure. is this on, folks? can you hear me? we do fill our role, and there is a lot of you mentions h. canon, seiu there are a number of groups that have been active for a number of years and to some sof us feel we are coming to the table much later than other folks have. you know, we feel our unique role in this reform effort

is two-fold. one is push the debate forward and we feel we have the unique ability to do that given we have a large list of supporters who are ready to get active on this and engage their neighbors and friends. the second is we feel our role is to tell a personal story about health care. like i talked about, we've received hundreds of thousands of personal stories, that we will magnify throughout this legislative process so that members and leaders here in washington understand that there is a public face to this health care reform effort. in addition to that, we also believe that real stories as opposed to the harry and louise ads that ran in 1993 having real stories are going to be much more powerful than having actors with a paid tv commercial. but we really believe that and the president has said thisber as well that he is going to lay out broad principles and ask the congress to address those principles in the legislation they draft.

we are going to continue to they can that -- take that same tact and match the tone and tenor of the president in this reform effort. >> thank you. and i can see that that is going to be part of the dynamic between the, the groups that have a more pointed agenda and the necessity to be broader in the messaging of the, of the democrats. do you have something to say? >> i was just going to add something. i think it's actually important for, you know, as, as i think deepak talked about the short-term and the long-term, if we were going to have actually a couple years ashopping cart, whether we are going to transform this, it really does come to whether we can actually do things that make a huge difference. and i think that, you know, some -- a poll we are going to release later today shows 80% of americans think we need to have quality affordable health care for every man, woman, and child now and the public plan is a piece of that. flaus -- [applause]

and because, because it makes it affordable. it makes it a way of being able to control costs and as you think about the different pieces about a quality affordable health care plan that covers everyone, we need to be able -- make sure that we can actually hold down costs and one of the best competitors we can have to the private industry is to be able to have a public plan that actually does that and is holding them accountable. >> what about single payer? >> sisters and brothers it would be great to have single payer. >> we will have a discussion of that later on this afternoon. >> but i would say that -- >> [inaudible] >> but i would say that the, the stuff that we're doing across the country right now is all about making sure that people understand what it means. and i think whether it's the stories that they are doing, i think whether it's the stories we are doing andh. canon is doing, the town haul meetings, the phone calls, the, all of the discussion about what it really means i can is really -- i think is really all there, and i think at the end of the day we need to make sure that voters feel that whatever we've adopted as health care reform has really made a difference in people's lives.

because that's wt people are going to look at. do they have health care they can afford at the end of the day that helps their lives. at the end of the day that's what they are going to vote for. not the necessary form oif. i think there are a lot of people in the room who feel we can't get there unless we have a public option. >> other panelists? i think many of us, just to respond to the question that was asked, think that a singlepayer system is would be best for the country. and that includes public statements that president obama himself made about this. the question in my view is what are the steps we can take to get there and the reason the public plan option is so important is that it is a structural change in how our health care system operates in this country that will fundamentally put a lid, if we do it right, on the role of private insurance companies. that is why if we lose that

battle -- [applause] we will really be in deep trouble. so i want to say that i think anna's point is right: it is a step on the path if in this congress we don't manage to deliver health care for every single american as the president has laid out, then i think we will have a lot of trouble going back and pushing for more far-reaching reforms in 2011 or 2013 or in the future. i was going to pull it back out a little bit from this issue because i think the challenge we are facing on health care we are facing on all of our priority issues and it's fundamentally an organizing challenge. move on is really proud we've grown to 5 million members in the last two years. and one of the things that we are thinking very actively about is how to best utilize our entire membership base because we have a lot to do. and one of our core missions -- >> afghanistan! >> this applies to afghanistan as well but one of the core missions as a

broad progresve movement is to show that there is a deep political will. for transformational change in this country, and that is broad brush, right? absolutely broad brush. and then beyond that in the wake of that if we don't keep that momentum going, we're not going to get anywhere but in the wake of that, we have to take a segment of our members who are passionate about the public plan or passionate about the specifics of the energy bill andm ploy them at strategic moments to make them heard on specific policy plantion we also have a challenge to -- absolutely critical to defining the opposition. for example, anna talked a lot about that chamber of commerce. most people in america still think of the chamber of commerce as this benign force that, you know, helps their local businesses. their opposition to africa, their opposition to the clean energy economy is one of the main obstacles we are facing in actually pursuing

that agenda ando so what we have been able to do is segment 22,000 small business leaders who are among our membership who have now taken a vocal stand against the chamber of commerce in support of president obama clean energy. [applause] this issue of segmentation is a critical one for measurable gain but we can't do it in absence of continuing to show the broad political momentum for transformative change. >> as a responsible moderator i need toicate this off now but i want to note the commitment of all of the groups up here throughout the buildup to the election campaign, during the election campaign, and now, is to bloodthen activity and the engagement with the american people, to not be content to sit with our base and complain or to

simply focus on the people that we already talk to. the goal of all of these groups is to reach out to the american people and to engage them in a serious discussion about the future of our country. and if we do that and if we do it well as all of these groups are committed to doing, we will truly keep the change going that we've started this past year. so thank you all very much for all of your work. let's all go get lunch, and

>> and coming up on this morning's "washington journal", jared allen has written an article about congressional intelligence briefings on detainee investigations. >> and we'll talk to john mcmanus, the author of "the americans at d-day and the americans at normandy." >> there is still time to get your 2009 u.s. congressional directory with information about the cabinet and the nation's governors, plus district maps.

it's $16.95 online at c-span.org/products or call 1-877-on-c-span. >> president obama and german chancellor angela merkel held a news conference yesterday in dresden, germany. during the conference, they talked about climate change and the 65th anniversary of d-day. today president obama will speak in france at a commemoration of the anniversary. >> good morning, ladies and

gentlemen. we are lucky to have the american president with us here for the first time after meeting with us at the nato summit. we will visit a little bit of dresden, and later we go to the former concentration camp. i believe this is a trip of a highly symbolic nature. let me just remind all of us of the visit to buchenberg we will take later in the day. it is so important that the american president makes his first stop here in dresden. this is a highly symbolic city. it was a city that was almost completely destroyed during the second world war. it has again turned out to be a jewel of german culture and civilization. the people here are so glad that you have come to see them, because it shows that you also pay tribute to the tremendous efforts they made in those 20 years after the wall of the wall.

we have made very good use of that time, talking about the political agenda, pressing issues. president obama yesterday gave a very important speech in cairo, which i think will be an ideal basis for a lot of action in a positive nature regarding the peace process in the middle east. we also talked about a possible time frame for possible progress to be made. i said on behalf of the federal republic of germany that we would like to be helpful in this peace process to the extent possible. we need a two-state solution, we need a viable state of palestinian and a viable state of israel, and whatever we can do to constructively accommodate this along the way, we would be glad to do. the state of negotiations on iran on the nuclear program, also, are at the top of our agenda here. we agree to work closely

together. germany will work closely with its contacts, with its expert knowledge to give a positive contribution to this issue. we also obviously debated the situation on world markets and we exchanged views on the different stimulus programs that we pursue in our countries, but also talked about what we feel is necessary in order to prepare the next g-20 meeting, then also the upcoming g-8 meeting. what is important is to implement what we decided on in london. the european states are now doing that, the united states are doing that. you have an ambitious plan that you are laid. so we will keep a close eye on developments, and then in the autumn, whether we meet as g-20, we will also state clearly that the multilateral system is something we consider to be important this year. negotiations on climate change

on a post-kyota -- on a post-kyoto treaty are also in order. we know it is very much an uphill battle. we are familiar with that from the debate that we have here in our country, and we are keeping a close eye on legislation that is passed. we, i think, are at one in saying we need an ambitious program, we want to have successful negotiations in copenhagen, and we want to make athe best use of our time. once again, a warm welcome to you, and we are so glad you and the members of your team have taken the trouble to come here. >> thank you very much, everybody. good morning. it is wonderful to be here in the beautiful city of dresden, which obviously is steeped in history, and as chancellor merkel discussed, has overcome

great tragedies, and is now this beautiful city full of hope. so i'm very grateful at not only changs lower -- chancellor merkel, but to the german people for their hospitality. germany is a close friend and a critical partner to the united states. i believe that friendship will be essential not only for our two countries but for the world if we are to make progress on some of the critical issues that we face. whether it is national security issues or economic issues or issues that affect the globe like climate change. chancellor merkel, as she mentioned, and i have had a very productive discussion. we continue to work closely together to confront the global economic crisis and restore prosperity for our people. the downturn knows no borders,

and it will take some time and action to move forward. at the g-20, we successfully laid out the parameters for collective action. we've seen, on both sides of the atlantic, some progress in stablizing the economy. but we are far from done in the work that's required. i mentioned to her that in the united states we are working diligently to strengthen financial regulations, to ensure that a crisis like this doesn't happen again, and it is going to be very important to coordinate between europe and the united states as we move to strengthen our financial regulatory systems. we affirmed that we are not going to engage in protectionism, and as all of us do what is required to restart our economy, we have to make sure that we keep our borders

open and that companies can move back and forth between the united states and europe in providing goods and services to our respective countries. i am very pleased to see the resolution of the o.p.a.l. situation here. we are very sympathetic toward each other that it is not easy to help auto companies restructure, and it is not always popular, but it is, we are convinced, the right thing to do. and i am hopeful that not only are we going to see these companies stablize, but also that they are going to emerge even stronger and more competitive in the international marketplace. chancellor merkel and i have discussed security challenges. germany has been a strong nato partner. as all of you know, we have

great challenges in afghanistan, and increasingly in pakistan. but our collective commitment to making sure that we are not seeing the kinds of terrorist bases that could pose harm to all of our people, that we maintain that commitment. we also discussed the issue of iran, and not in isolation but in a broader context of avoiding a nuclear arms race that could be profoundly dangerous in the future. i said that i am committed to engaging in serious dialogue and negotiations with iran that if can't be done in isolation, it has to be done in conjunction with a t-5 plus one or the e-3 process, and germany will be a

critical partner in that process . later in the summer i will be traveling to russia to discuss how we can reduce u.s. nuclear stockpiles and russian nuclear stockpiles. so our concern is not just iran but a broughter concern to increase nonproliferation so the threat is greatly reduced in our lifetime. and as the chancellor mentioned, my recent trip to the middle east, and the need for all of us to redouble our efforts to bring about two states, israel and a palestinian state that are living side by side in peace and security. i think the moment is now for us to act on what we all know to be the truth, which is that east side is going to have to make some difficult compromises. we have to reject violence.

the palestinians have to get serious about creating the security environment that is required for israel to feel confident. israelis are going to have to take some difficult steps. i just discussed some of those in the speech. ultimately the united states can't force peace upon the parties. but what we have tried to do is to clear away some of the misunderstandings so that we can at least begin to have frank dialogue. and we are not going to be able to do that by our sefment we will have to have -- by ourselves. we will have to have others in that process, and i know chancellor merkel is committed to that process. so again, it is a great honor to be here.

i'm looked forward to continued partnership between our two countries to deal with the wide range of issues that we confront at this time. so thank you very much. >> i believe you have the possibility to ask questions. do we start with a german question? mrs. myer, please. >> mr. president, did you have the opportunity to also address the issue of guantanamo? do you feel sufficiently supported by europe, and here, in particular, by germany, in accepting former prisoners? does this, perhaps, over shadow your relationship with the chancellor or perhaps not? there has been mild speculation over your trip that you left certain venues open until the end, that this had something to

do with your relationship with the chancellor. and chancellor did you make an offer to give certain assurances to the president and to accommodate him? >> let me first of all say i think your characterization of wild speculations is very accurate. they are very wild. and based on no facts. the truth of the matter is that the relationship not only between our two countries but our two governments is outstanding. that most of the speculation around my schedule here in germany doesn't take into account simple lodgistics. traveling, trying to get from one place to the other, coming off a middle east trip, having to go to normandy tomorrow, there are only 24 hours in the day.

so there's nothing to any of that speculation beyond us just trying to fit in what we could do on such a short trip. so stop it, all of you. i know you have to find something to report on. in terms of the issue of guantanamo, it is a difficult issue. it is difficult in my country, it is difficult internationally. we have a facility that contains some people that are very difficult to deal with. some of them probably should not have been detained in those facilities in the first place. they should have been processed and tried and